HENDERSON, Tenn. – In a showdown on the road, the Campbellsville Tigers pulled off a thrilling five-set victory against the Freed-Hardeman Lions, ending their Tennessee trip with two hard-fought wins. (26-28, 28-26, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6).
- The Tigers showcased a potent and balanced offense, with four players reaching double-digit kills and the team hitting an impressive .305 for the match.
- Brooke Hager was a force in the middle, recording 16 kills on just 24 attempts with only one error for a .625 hitting percentage.
- After trading marathon extra-point sets to open the match, the Tigers responded with a dominant 15-6 victory in the decisive fifth set.
- Claire Hammond was a weapon from the service line, firing a match-high five aces, including three in a row during a crucial third-set run.
- The Tigers will be back on their home court next Tuesday, hosting the Kentucky State University Thoroughbreds at 7 p.m. ET.
The first set saw an early kill from
Brooke Hager, but the Lions quickly matched the intensity. Tied at 17, both teams battled fiercely, with Freed-Hardeman's scrappy defense leading to multiple ties. Despite a late kill from
Sophie Hill to give the Tigers a set point at 26-25, the Lions scored the final three points to claim the opener 28-26.
Refusing to back down, the Tigers came out determined in the second set. With the score knotted at 20-all, Campbellsville called a timeout to refocus. The extra points favored the Tigers this time, as a crucial kill from
Kati Vest tied the score at 26, and Campbellsville went on to win 28-26 on an attack error by the Lions.
The third set opened with the Lions scoring first, but Campbellsville soon took control.
Claire Hammond's multiple aces capped off an aggressive run that propelled the Tigers to a convincing 25-17 set win. The Lions responded, holding on to win a tight fourth set 25-23 to force a decisive fifth.
In the must-win final set, the Tigers brought the energy from the start. Kills from Hager,
Angi Gstach, and
Elif Akcivi set the tone early. Despite two timeouts by the Lions to try to regroup, the Tigers maintained their momentum and took the fifth set comfortably with a 15-6 victory.
Hager led the powerful and balanced attack with 16 kills (.625). She was joined in double-digits by
Emily Aabye (15 kills), Akcivi (13 kills), and Gstach (10 kills). Vest orchestrated the offense with 54 assists, while
Maddie Pennington anchored the defense with 23 digs.
